Book Review: The Hotel Nantucket, by Elin Hilderbrand

I saw this on a "deal of the day" right before I went on vacation. I was in the mood for something "beachy" and The Hotel Nantucket did not disappoint.

Lizbet has just had a devastating breakup with her longtime boyfriend and business partner after discovering he was having an affair. Some faraway billionaire, Xavier, purchases The Hotel Nantucket and needs a general manager. The hotel has been closed for many years and is supposedly haunted. Lizbet throws everything she has into redesigning the hotel. The only way to make Xavier happy is if she gets a 5-star rating from Shelly Carpenter, the popular Instagram influencer who has never given 5 stars to any hotel.

The ghost, Grace, who was killed in a hotel fire in 1922, does play a part in the story. Don't let that throw you off. It is tasteful and a cute addition. Turns out Xavier (who doesn't even visit the hotel until the very end) had an ulterior motive for buying and refurbishing the hotel. But I won't spill the beans about that.

Lizbet is destined for some romance (new or old? I won't tell you that either.) The employees and guests of the hotel are varied, and each has their own backstory. There are ups and downs, of course, but ultimately this is a feel-good beach read with a happy ending. Not too sappy. Some secrets that are intriguing. Just what I wanted!

I don't read too many of this genre, so I don't have much to compare it to. Hilderbrand is supposedly a master, so I would recommend The Hotel Nantucket if you are in the mood. 

Published by Little, Brown & Co., 2022
EBook purchased
416 pages

Rating: 4/5

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Book Review: Happily and Madly by Alexis Bass @alexisbasswrite

I was pleasantly surprised by how much I loved Happily and Madly. I couldn't put it down.

Maris is from a broken family and is going to spend the summer at an island rental with her father’s new family (the New Browns). This includes her father's new wife and baby, and a teen daughter, Chelsea, whom he has adopted. She is, of course, resentful of them, since they are the reason her father left her and her mother alone.

She's uncomfortable with all the happiness and while alone on a hike, she meets a beaten and bloody boy, Finn, who she helps to escape from his pursuers. They begin a romantic relationship as they meet secretly. Then Maris finds out Finn is the boyfriend of her stepsister--and his name is Edison--and that's not all of the secrets he has. His family, the Duvals, are very rich, and they treat the New Browns to all kinds of luxurious island adventures. But there is more to the story of this family. As Maris begins to uncover their secrets, the danger mounts and even though she is trying to do what is right, she ends up in a fight for her life and the lives of her family.

While some suspension of disbelief is necessary, the twists surprised me. The pacing is brisk. The tension mounts, and the characters are sympathetic. I thoroughly enjoyed the experience.

Summer love, a mysterious and possibly dangerous boy, and plenty of lies and deception combine to make this thriller a compelling read. And I really didn't have much of any idea about what was going on until it was revealed. Given the current craze over twisted thriller books, this one is a welcome addition to the teen market.

Published by TOR, May 21, 2019
ARC obtained from School Library Connection Magazine
352 pages

Rating: 4.5/5

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Book Review: The Lies They Tell, by Gillian French

The Lies They Tell is a good teen contemporary mystery but didn't really stand out.

A fire has destroyed the Garrison's summer house on Tenney's Harbor.  The occupants were murdered before the fire was set.  Only one family member survived, a son, Tristan. Pearl's father, the caretaker, has been blamed for allowing this to happen on his watch, and Pearl is out to clear his name.

Usually, the year-round residents don't mix with the affluent summer crowd.  But Tristan, who returned to the island by himself this summer, and his friends regularly sit in Pearl's section at the club where she waits tables.

Pearl starts hanging around with them and secretly is doing her own investigating of the crime. She slowly finds clues that don't mean much, but in the end, all is revealed, and she must fight for her survival against the perpetrator.

I suspected who accomplished this crime from the beginning but still wasn't sure until the end. There are a few tense moments throughout the story, and slowly secrets are revealed. But all hell breaks loose at the very end, and I did feel my heart pounding a little bit.

I read French's The Door to January and was fairly apathetic.  The Lies They Tell is much more thrilling. It is also kind of interesting that I happen to be listening to Red Hook Road, which is an adult book about life on an island community where most of the people are summer residents and the relationships they form with the full-time residents. My review is coming soon.

The Lies They Tell is a bit slow to get going but other than that, it's an easy read that teen mystery lovers will enjoy.  It isn't a must-read, but there aren't enough YA mystery books, so I'll be happy to recommend this one.

Published by HarperTeen, May 1, 2018
eARC obtained from Edelweiss
304 pages

Rating: 3.5/5

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